OFFICERS are being traumatised and their lives are being \u2018put in limbo\u2019 because misconduct cases are taking too long to be resolved by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), says the PFEW.<\/p>\n
The IOPC is causing \u2018catastrophes\u2019 in officers\u2019 lives and some are even harming themselves due to the stress being under investigation can cause, PFEW Conduct Lead Phill Matthews said.<\/p>\n
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Just five officers who underwent misconduct cases ordered by the IOPC, were dismissed in England and Wales in the past three years, a new Freedom of Information request from the BBC has also revealed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe process takes far too long, and our members are just left in limbo, quite often for a number of years,\u201d Mr Matthews said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have cases that have gone on for up to 10 years. Officers are stopped from transferring, getting promoted, they can\u2019t even re-mortgage their houses as they don\u2019t know if they are going to be employed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
“The effect on officers can be catastrophic. They can be suspended, at massive public expense, which has a knock-on effect on morale for whole shifts of officers, or placed on restrictions. We have had members trying to harm themselves because of the stress they are under.\u201d<\/p>\n
The biggest number of directed gross misconduct cases took place in the Met and of the eight directed, only one was proven, not dismissed, the figures obtained by the BBC show.<\/p>\n
In England and Wales, two-thirds of the 48 cases investigated by the IOPC gross misconduct charges were not proven.<\/p>\n
Of the 15 police officers against whom charges were upheld five were sacked and 10 received other sanctions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese figures comes as absolutely no surprise and are broadly in line with other FOI requests,\u201d Mr Matthews added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe IPCC, and IOPC as is now, pursue the wrong cases and often have very little understanding of the evidence and give families and complainants unrealistic expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n
He wants to see reforms in the Case to Answer test and says time limits for investigations should be in place.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe figures evidence what we have been saying for a long time that the Case to Answer test is wrong and needs reforming,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order to change the system, we need to put an effective time limit on investigations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no excuse why they should be lasting as long as they do. And the fact that so many have no case to answer for afterwards shows they have got the threshold wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
The IOPC told the BBC that its approach had been legally tested and was ‘appropriate’ while Policing Minister Nick Hurd has confirmed that reforms to the IOPC are due \u2018later this year\u2019.<\/p>\n